The Nigerian Tourism Entrepreneur, Otunba Wanle Akinboboye who is the Founder and President of La Campagne Tropicana, Forest and Beach Resort is relentless about turning around Nigerian tourism and making the country a first choice tourist destination.
Fascinated by the idea of building, developing and promoting tourism products, Akinboboye has over the years successfully turned every latent tourist attraction in sight into tourism products, thereby creating destinations that not only stimulate the senses and sensibilities but offer opportunities for tourists to explore the country.
This is clearly evident through La Campagne Tropicana, Forest and Beach Resort in Ikegun Village, Ibeju Lekki axis of Lagos State, as since the inception, Akinboboye has relentlessly ensured that the multiple-awards winning African themed resort in global tourism remains the most sought after.
The tourism expert has however continuously lamented this lack of foresight and creative instinct that has left Nigerian tourism stagnant and the operators on their back foot while other countries that are less endowed with both natural and manmade attractions as Nigeria, year on year reap bountifully and even turns Nigeria into a major source market for their tourism business.
Weary of this development, Akinboboye towards the end of 2023 promised to unveil 52 tourism products to boost the sector within a period of one year. For Akinboboye, embarking on this course is not just driven only by his nationalism and patriotic conviction but also the need to boost and uplift Nigerian tourism from its underperforming level to a thriving one and to create opportunity for the development of a successful tourism business and market for the country, with particular reference to young Nigerians by turning them into tourism entrepreneurs.
Between October and December 2023, this tourism entrepreneur unveiled 12 tourism products for the benefit of the Nigerian market but more importantly, using Nigeria and Lagos in particular, as a base to reach the entire world. The tourism products are: DNERP (Diaspora Nigeria Economic Recovery Programme); YATE; Kamp Afrika; CAER; Building Bridge; Yoru’ Bar; Beach Safaris; Scuba Diving; HURP (Hope Unity Rebirth Prosperity); Motherland Beckons’ Heed The Call; IPADA; and IPADA Carnival.
All of the 52 tourism products to be released by him have the potential to create multiple activities or adventures that will offer memorable experiences for the people and by extension add value to the economy of Africa especially growing its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) through tourism.
According to Akinboboye, Africa and Nigeria should target the Diaspora market, with the aim of attracting over 50 million people yearly to the continent and Nigeria by extension, to have an immersive experience from the numerous tourism products. “We believe that if Dubai with less than four million people (population) and zero Diaspora population could achieve so much, then the whole of the continent of Africa should be able to record a minimum of 50 million people, putting together all tourism products available throughout the continent. We are not asking for handouts, we are asking them to come and take advantage of the vast opportunities in Africa. We are giving them open opportunities, for them to have an easy connection to the entire continent that will be championed by Nigeria.
They will be using Lagos State as the gateway, being the biggest economy in Africa, and the largest concentration spot in Africa, it is the gateway to get people of African descent and lovers of Africa to connect with the continent.” Akinboboye further revealed that the IPADA Carnival, one of the 12 products released so far is amulti-dimensional and offers the opportunity for Africa to fuse into one big market for the people to harvest rich fun. “We are targeting a minimum of 50 million people annually that will be coming to the African continent through Nigeria, taking advantage of our deep seaport at Lekki.
We are transforming slave ships to cruise ships and then luxurious airlines. Now, we are celebrating our prosperity, our resilience, our growth, our development, and our contribution to the world economy. At the end of the year, there would be a huge harvest, a celebration of Motherland Beckons’ Heed the Call, and a huge harvest of the celebration of heeding that call, ‘IPADA.”
He continued: “As we seem to make a last ditch effort at revamping Nigerian tourism, given that new Ministry of Tourism and Ministry of Arts, Culture and Creative Economy have been created, with the Ministry of Arts, Culture and Creative Economy targeting $100 billion contribution to Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 2030, then now is the time to embrace noble and practical ideas and agendas that will actually grow Nigerian tourism and the creative economy.”